Massachusetts Communities Move Toward Decriminalizing Psychedelics, With Some Pushback

Psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms. (Dick Culbert / Wikimedia Commons)

One of the newest frontiers in mental health care is psychedelic drugs — like MDMA or psilocybin in magic mushrooms. But, for now, those drugs are illegal and can’t be subscribed.

Efforts across the country to decriminalize psychedelics are gaining steam in some places, including western Massachusetts, but some people want to slow down the process.

Those of a certain age will remember psychedelic drugs were a mainstay of the 1960s counterculture — the part that focused on exploration of the soul.

Thousands of young people followed the call of eccentric Harvard professor Timothy Leary – a Springfield, Massachusetts, native – who became famous for his anthem: “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out.”

But amid the spiritual expansion, there were many out-of-control acid trips, some people jumped off buildings, and others reported flashbacks and long-term cognitive effects.

Click here for the full story from New England Public Media.